Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-01-30
The HousehoId,

DEAR KATE-A promise given should
be promise kept, but before the giving
it should he well considered. There was
q little rutlling of the feathers in the dove
cote over the last letter, e sort Of protest
against an exhibition Of Our home secrets,
but an exercise Of WifeIy tRCt-In paren-
thesis, this Is en- important wheel ii the
maChinery-haS convinced Theo that g
little Self-saCrltiCe for the general good is
commendable. "Pro bono publico" is
what said, and this having an oratorical
smack Was convincing argument. YCu
know men are born politicians, and pol
itiCs is what interests them in the morn
ing paper; by the way, how DO you sup
pose Theo happened on the Ladies
Column? This headline IS intended as g
warning beacon; it may be that men and
women ere both human, and Eve was not
alone III her desire to pry into forbidden
things.
The first light cloud that swept over
our marital horizon came from the dining
room, and eliminated III slight shower
behind the cOffee-urn. .Esthetlcism was
my ruling passion, but however faultless
the table in its array, l found it WAS no
compensation to hungry man for the
lack of wholesome food, and | think
headaches on the wIfe's part would have
been arrested had the substantial pre-
vailed over the beautiful. The new cook
reigned, and her aWe-inSDiriag preset ce
was too much for my timid ignorance.
PrOverbially mind ruled over matter, but
! was not mistresS-that vas evident. A
questioning on the part OF the master as
TO the amount Of provisions needed in SO
small family as ours brought about q
violent rupture, and to me was left the
responsibility of cleaning and the prepa-
ration of the dinner. To say it
was not pre-eminently successful does
not express it. Theo smiled encour
sgipgly, but I always suspected that he
fortified his inner man by eating else
where. while well you know what
woman generally does under such circum-
stances. Not to weary your patience
with my experiences IN the servant line,
some ludicrous and some even pathetic, it
resulted finally in a selt-education in that
best of cooking schools, the home kitchen,
where, by the aid of an attendant, Top
sey, | wrought out the problem to a sat
isfactory conclusion. AS the cares null
tiplied, demands upon time in other de-
partments did not cause delegation Of
authority, but l remain head. In all
modesty 1 would say that the solution OF
the problem of servant-girlism is, that
the mistress maintain her supremacy,
which can be done by first acquainting
herself practically with the details OF
housekeeping, and resisting aggressions
quietly and firmly. There can be no rea-
son in this relationship more than in any
other for the dictation of the employed
to the employer, neither is it
magnifying mine office to say
that no woman who assumes the re-
sponsibilities belonging to a wife can by
any course Of reasoning on her part JUS
tify want of knowledge or inattention |
to the duties involved. Bridget and Di- |
nah are stronger physically than l an,
but the higher intellect must not be en-
shaved, aud through no fault of ignor-
ance or inertia shall they fail TO recog !
nize me as head of the executive departz#
ment. Thanks to fashion, the dsys5ef !
fine ladyism are past, women haYe the |
good sense to cultivate their physical de- !
velopment, and the rosy cheek and elass*
tic step betoken an advance in the intsN